Speed Post News Network
Nawada: Police ‘recovered’ Tantan Kumar, the 10 year old abducted-for-ransom son of Ramesh Kumar, sarpanch of Nawadih panchayat under Kawakol police station in Nawada district, on Tuesday night. Nawada SP Vikas Dev Burman broke the news of Tantan’s release to the mediapersons at a hurriedly press conference convened at his residence at 7 am on Wednesday. However, the criminals involved, identified as Shekhar Yadav and Bablu, are yet to be arrested.
Burman said Shekhar Yadav and Bablu, the two local criminals, had been nursing a grouse ever since Ramesh had managed to retain the sarpanch’s seat in the recently concluded panchayat elections. So they abducted Tantan on July 10 at 6 am near Nimidih High School and demanded Rs 10 lakh ransom for his safe release. But, the SP attributed the recovery to the intense police pressure and raids.
Nawada district Sarpanches’ Association president Vijay Kumar, however, claimed that the police swung into action only after the association issued a 24-hour deadline to the police on Tuesday stating that an indefinite strike would be launched if the police failed to recover the boy within the period. Also, the abductors releasing the boy exactly at the same spot from where he was abducted punches loopholes in the police’s claim of ‘recovery’. He suspected that it was only when ransom was paid to the abductors that the boy was released from captivity. Ramesh Kumar, the father, however, denied that he had paid any ransom for his son’s release.